Inbound Marketing Basics & How It Can Help My Business

Expand Your Customer Base With Inbound Marketing

Today’s business owners have a wealth of marketing techniques at their disposal for the purpose of expanding their customer base. One effective marketing tool is referred to as inbound marketing.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing

Traditional marketing efforts lean heavily on outbound marketing tools, which include compiling lists of potential customer email addresses, purchasing and placing effective advertising materials, and seeking out new leads. Outbound marketing efforts mean that you must seek out the customers.

When you use inbound marketing tools correctly, the customers will come to you.

When trying to choose which method would work best for your business model, keep in mind the outbound method tends to better serve more traditional businesses. The inbound method comes in handy when you are attracting new customers in the digital market. There’s no right or wrong method as each technique fits a specific need.

The Power of Inbound Marketing

Using inbound marketing tools means you no longer have to fight to be seen. Creating effective digital content which already interests customers will make your brand very attractive. By utilizing creative, appealing content, customers will naturally come to you.

How is Inbound Marketing Beneficial for Your Business?

The inbound method of marketing involves a multi-faceted approach to attract customers to your business.

Create Content That is Interesting and Shareable – Thanks to the advent of the digital age, we now live, and work, in a time where what was once called “word-of-mouth” advertising is now referred to as “viral content.” When people read something they like, they usually share it online with their friends, family members, and associates. When people share your content many times, it offers your business to reach a much larger audience. The more exposure your content receives, the more opportunities you have to attract new customers.

Lifecycle Marketing – Once you have grabbed the customer’s interest, use marketing tools to help turn them into champions for your business. This is one area where “word-of-mouth” advertising can play a big role in successfully converting strangers into customers.

Tailor Your Content to The Customer – Know what it is your customer want. The more personal the experience, the better.

Multiple Platforms – Go where the people are. Make your content available for your customers to find, no matter which platform they prefer to use. Meet them where they work, play, and interact with one another.

Seamless Integration – Make sure that all of your marketing tools, content, publishing platform, and analytical tools work smoothly with one another. They all have one goal: to get your content out there in front of the public, in a naturally enticing manner that drives them to become customers.

Ways to Utilize Inbound Marketing

Create a Business Blog – The goal of any marketing effort is to attract the right customers to your business. Use this blog to answer any frequently asked questions customers may have. Present a different topic each week to help customers educate themselves about your products and services.

Keyword Optimization – The first step in attracting new online customers is to make it easier for them to find your business through the use of search engines. Use online tools to select the right keywords to improve your business ranking in search engine results.

Your Website – Optimize how your website is designed to make it easy for customers to find exactly what they are looking for. Check each page for ease of navigation and to make sure each page leads clients to where you want them to go. Shortened attention spans lead to an extremely low frustration threshold for customers. If they have a difficult time finding what they want to know, they will move on to your competition.

Cash in on the Popularity of Social Media – Utilize shareable content.

Convert Casual Visitors Into New Leads – Use online forms, sign-ups, newsletters, and calls to action.

Close the Deal – Make use of email and other closing tools to convert new leads into new customers.

Be Responsive to Your Customers Needs and Desires – A happy customer is an invaluable asset. Respond to your customers’ needs by using tools such as surveys, targeted calls to action, and social media interaction tailored to their habits and needs.

Over to you

Providing relevant content that your customers want and need is the key to success. Using platform tools like HubSpot to help manage your inbound marketing strategy can be an absolute game changer.

Eric Steiner graduated with an MFA in professional and creative writing from Western Connecticut State University in 2014. He's worked on a number of professional writing projects with clients such as Pearson Education, WatchMojo.com, and Michael Mailer Films. Giving brands a voice is his passion.

Eric Steiner

Eric Steiner graduated with an MFA in professional and creative writing from Western Connecticut State University in 2014. He's worked on a number of professional writing projects with clients such as Pearson Education, WatchMojo.com, and Michael Mailer Films. Giving brands a voice is his passion.